The Dragon's Stone
by K.I.T.T. RIDER
Summary: Past life AU. The prince of the kingdom of Baniron has been taken into the legendary group known as the Riders; young men and women and their dragons dedicated to protecting the land of Atonaronur. However, when the other kingdoms begin to rebel against the Riders, their precious land falls into disarray. Someone was at fault for this, someone they know well.
1. The Dragon Prince

**The Dragon's Stone**

**Chapter One**

_**A/Ns: This is an experiment fic for me. IF it doesn't get completed, then... oh well. I tried.**_

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Kaito stared blankly at his leather pack currently on his bed. The perfect satin sheets that covered his bed in thick waves of sapphire concaved under the weight of the pack. This was to be the last day he had in his kingdom; after today, he would no longer be the prince of Baniron. No, he would be the prince of the Riders and their army.

Then what would become of his younger brother, Haruto? The boy was only a mere seven years old, too young still to know the basics of defense and swordplay. He was to become the heir of the kingdom once their father passed on, and with the current king being in his deathbed, surely Haruto was to come to the throne soon.

'He shall make it through,' Galaxy spoke as he placed his head in the room through the open window. The prince sighed and reached out, placing a hand on his beast's glowing scales.

"I believe in Haruto, I do," Kaito murmured, more to himself than to his dragon, "but I fear for him. He shall be alone once I go. What will he do…?"

'He is a tough boy,' Galaxy reassured telepathically. 'Do not doubt your brother's strength; he is like you, Kaito. You raised him correctly.'

"I thank you for your considerate words, Galaxy." Kaito turned from the dragon and slung the leather pack over his shoulder. One last time, he gazed around the room, taking in the pine-colored silk draped over the walls, the fireplace and its gentle flames, his bed with its beautiful sheets and blood red canopy, the floor with its marble embellishments. A room meant for a future king, who now would never be.

A member of the Royal Guard came and escorted the prince from his chambers. Kaito imprinted every single detail of the winding hallways into his memory, for this was the final time he would see the inside of the castle he had been raised in. He nodded to the maids that passed by him as he made his way through the kitchens and out into the courtyard. His escort had yet to arrive, due to a slight delay.

Haruto ran to his older brother and threw his small arms around the blonde's waist. "I will miss you, brother," the young boy sobbed, burying his face into the golden tunic his brother wore.

"As will I, Haruto," Kaito said quietly, running his hands through the boy's blue hair. A single tear fell from his grey eyes.

However, before their moment together could be complete, a great screech pierced the air. Every soul in the courtyard gazed upwards toward the sky, seeing the mighty wings of a dragon displacing the clouds as the creature descended. It was not Galaxy who flew downward into the courtyard; rather, it was an elegant female dragon with a body the color of lavender.

Galaxy kept his black eyes on the female as she roared and landed swiftly inside the courtyard. Her large wings were similar to those of a monarch butterfly, folded up to her slender body. Perched behind her neck, just in front of her wings, was a gorgeous woman, a crown bearing the symbol of the Riders secured on her head. Her black hair was short, flowing to her shoulders, her bangs the same color as her dragon's body. She and her dragon entranced the crowd within the castle's courtyard.

Finally, the woman spoke. "Greetings, people of Baniron," she spoke in a tone that clearly stated her rank. "I apologize for arriving at a later time than what was proposed; I had a meeting to attend to before coming to escort the new Rider to the palace."

Kaito came forward, not at all fazed by the beast's fearsome appearance. "I am the one who is to be escorted, correct?"

"Correct," the woman said with a nod. He continued to keep his eyes on her; she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes upon. Her armor, resembling soft petals of a flower, was the same color of her hair, small amethyst butterfly wings sprouting from the guards over her shoulder blades. As she dismounted her dragon and gracefully stepped down to the sandy ground, she placed a hand out for him to take. "I am the Rider known as Droite," she said with a smile.

Kaito gratefully took her hand, bent down, and kissed her knuckles gently. Upon straightening his spine and letting go of her soft hand, he met her smile with one of his own. "I am Kaito Tenjo, the prince of Baniron."

"So I've heard," she replied. With a simple gesture, she introduced her dragon. "As some of you know, my dragon's name is Butterfly. She is the last of her line of species."

Kaito frowned slightly at hearing the dragon's fate. Any dragon, whether it be a faedragon or one of the legendary Great Dragons, if they were the last of their species, their reputation was degraded. Such as the one standing before the people of Baniron, she looked to be of the faedragon line.

"Where is your dragon mount?" questioned the female Rider, tilting her head to the side. "Should such a handsome dragon be at your side in a time such as this?"

"My apologies, Rider," Kaito hastily said, turning to look towards the area his dragon had took up to hiding in. He called out with his mind, and soon after, the glowing form of Galaxy's wings and body slowly slithered his way to the courtyard.

The male dragon appeared slightly ashamed, as if he was a child caught doing a wrong. Droite gracefully stepped forward, extending her hands out to the slightly frightened creature.

"Do not fear me, Galaxy," she spoke softly as her hands met his muzzle. "A handsome dragon such as yourself is a magnificent creature."

Galaxy leaned into the Rider's touch. Her fingers pressed into his scales lightly, as if not trying to startle him into scurrying away. 'I give you my thanks, Rider Droite,' he told her quietly.

"Of course," she answered. Patting his nose, she then returned to her dragon, preparing to mount her beast. Kaito looked up at her with a confused gaze.

"What are you doing, exactly?" he questioned. She smiled at him, climbing up onto her dragon.

"You are going to get a few flying lessons on our way back," she told him, throwing him a black leather saddle. He caught it, almost getting thrown to the ground by the sheer weight of it. "Now mount your dragon. We'll be leaving for the castle soon."

Kaito nodded, taking the heavy saddle with him as he went over to Galaxy. The male dragon lowered his neck so that his Rider could place the saddle on him.

It was odd, how well the saddle fit behind Galaxy's neck, as if it had been custom made for the dragon. Kaito wasn't surprised, actually; the Riders had probably watched him since he and his dragon were born. They possibly knew every detail of his life, and of Galaxy's.

Once he had secured it on, he climbed atop his dragon's saddle without some difficulty. Only once had he ever flown with Galaxy, and that had been many years ago, when he was still a boy. Now, as a young man, and his steed being a full grown adult dragon, he felt powerful as he looked down upon his people. Haruto even had a glint of fear in his eyes.

Kaito strapped his pack to his back as Galaxy raised his neck. The prince held on tightly with his knees, gripping the beast's crest with his hands. He had forgotten how difficult it was to balance himself on a dragon.

Galaxy let out a roar as Droite and Butterfly turned around, preparing to launch into the sky. Kaito took one last look at his kingdom, at his people, at his brother, before his dragon sprang upwards, tailing Butterfly.

'Goodbye, brother,' the prince thought to himself, dragging his gaze away from the kingdom and focusing on the female Rider and her dragon ahead of him.

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_**Tell me how this is starting out. Cuz I wanna know.**_


	2. Flying with the Clouds

**_Chapter 2_**

**_A/Ns: So… I think I started a thing with the dragons. I mean, I've seen at least three stories with similar ideas to mine. Oh well. I guess it's just that time of the year, apparently._**

**_Also, this story will have a multitude of shippings, ahem, for all you Diamondshippers out there, I know you'll like when Rio and Kaito meet later on._**

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Droite was exhausted from her perilous flight from the palace. It was at least a four days' worth of travel, many leagues away. She had used a special spell that drained a large portion of her energy to transport herself and her dragon to Baniron in the matter of a few hours. Unfortunately, despite being well-trained in the field of magic, if she dare try to transport four living creatures at the same pace, she would ultimately die before the spell would even be cast. Only the strongest of witches and wizards could produce a spell such as that.

As a Rider, however, she came close to the levels of even Merlin the Great. Combining her strength with her dragon's own made even difficult spells easier to accomplish. Being one of the Riders was certainly a great luxury at times.

She looked back over her shoulder, between Butterfly's wings, to see the prince and his dragon following along at a somewhat measly pace. It was clear to her that those two would need extensive training before they set foot in the Riders' domain. Butterfly, upon hearing her Rider's thoughts, clearly believed the same.

'Hm,' Butterfly murmured inside both their minds. 'I wish to propose an idea.'

'Go on,' Droite urged. The dragon snorted in amusement, hearing the impatience in the woman's voice.

'Loops and a dive,' stated Butterfly plainly. Droite smiled eagerly, agreeing to the idea.

This technique of theirs would certainly scare the prince half to death, but she was an experienced Rider with several years of training under her belt. She had mastered this battle maneuver shortly after arriving at the palace over a century ago.

"Alright, Butterfly, up!" the female Rider cried. Her dragon responded by sharply angling her wings and tail, her body almost vertical as she began to climb.

Wings pumping, the dragon flew upwards. Kaito and Galaxy watched on, having enough knowledge to not follow the Rider for the time being. Both males could see how the Rider had perfect control over how she and her beast moved higher and higher, to the point that they were just specks in the sunset-laced sky.

It was when they started coming back down that Kaito had to suck in a breath of shock. Just as the two started to come into view, Droite began to loosen her grip on the reins. She let them go, said something to Butterfly, and then jumped off the saddle and into thin air, her body streamlining to slice through the air.

"Go!" Kaito yelled at Galaxy just as the two females rushed passed them. Galaxy flared out his wings, and then went after them, trailing them.

It was right after they passed through the clouds that Droite suddenly angled her body and veered sharply to the left. Her armor made it possible for her to glide slightly, so she did not lose control as she went into a small loop. Butterfly, likewise, did a larger loop, nearly bumping her tail to her muzzle, then dived underneath Droite and caught her. All the while, Galaxy and Kaito had kept up with the two, nearly bumping into them as Galaxy suddenly slowed.

"And that, my dear prince," Droite said, smiling while pushing her windblown hair from her face, "is your first lesson in flying your dragon like a Rider."

"By scaring me half to death?" questioned the blonde.

"No," she replied, "Speed. You must be fast in catching up to your enemies. You did quite well, actually." Now, at a lower elevation, she could inspect the ground more closely. At this point, they had been flying from noon until sundown, and sundown was just on the tip of the horizon.

"We should set up camp soon, Prince," she spoke after a few moments. He gave her a quizzical expression.

"Whatever for?" he asked. "You arrived at Baniron a few hours after you were summoned. Can't you do that again…?"

"I fear I cannot, not with four living beings," she answered. "The teleportation spell I used requires a great deal of energy, and even if the both of us and our dragons brought our powers together, it would still not be enough." She sighed sadly. "It'll take me a few days to recuperate after using such a powerful spell over such a large distance. I'm afraid I won't be able to use a majority of my magical abilities for some time." Her eyes then settled on a place near the base of a mountain. "There. We'll settle for the night and set off at dawn."

"Alright," Kaito said quietly. Together, he and the Rider landed in the clearing, surrounded by willows and pines. It was rather nice, being on the ground again after many hours of flying. However, the sky itself was a haven as well, to both the dragons and their human companions.

Night soon fell over the clearing, the stars shining bright. A new moon was in store for the land tonight. Galaxy and Butterfly took it upon themselves to trade tongues while Droite and Kaito relaxed near the fire they had built.

"There are tales about the Riders," Kaito began," ones that speak of their agelessness, of their power. Would you mind elaborating on that particular subject?"

"Ah." Caught off guard, Droite settled back against the logged behind her shoulders. "I see you've heard of our legends. Of course, most people have, but they have limited knowledge on the full extent of our abilities." She scraped the bottom of the bowl she held, sipping up the last of the soup they had eaten. "First, I will address what is soon to come for you. You are nineteen, correct?" Not waiting for an answer, she continued. "You will soon discover that you will not age. A Rider stops aging at nineteen. We will live until our dragon dies, by battle, or some other reason."

"How long have you been alive, then?"

"Well over a century, Prince." She placed the bowl down and sighed. "That is why it is best if we avoid contact with normal people. Love is not an affair to get involved with when you are a Rider." Droite gained a sad expression. "I have been a victim of that emotion countless times."

Silence overcame them for the moment. Only the growls from their dragons could be heard. That is, until Kaito had another question to ask. "What training do I need, exactly?"

"Depends on the skills you already have," Droite answered. "As for the sword… Which hand do you use to wield a sword?"

"The right hand," he replied. She raised an eyebrow, nodding.

"Alright then," she spoke, standing up. Tossing him a thick stick from nearby, she gave him an odd expression. "Show me what you are capable of."

Kaito looked at the stick for a moment before rushing forward, poised to strike. Droite batted him away before he even had a chance at getting an attack at her. Again, he tried, but it only earned him a swat to the arm and him landing in a pile of moss.

She sighed, hopelessly. "Before you actually come to the palace, I will have to give you and your dragon basic training." Dropping the stick to the ground, she got out a mat from her pack and laid it out on the ground. "Get some rest. I'll explain more in the morning."

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**_A/Ns: So chapter 2 is done and over with. I'm almost completely finished with the first book of the Inheritance series again! Woo!_**

**_So, okay, review. I actually wasn't expecting the people to come and crowd this story the way they did._**

**_But yes, there's not only Anxietyshipping in here, there's other shippings dumped in here. It's only chapter 2, so not much is happening yet._**

**_PS: I spent like four hours reading and writing this chapter, oh my god. My butt hurts from sitting on the chair too long. XD_**


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